Family, Friends Mourn Dr. Scott Swygert, 45

Published: Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 10:35 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 2, 2013 at 10:35 p.m.

LAKELAND | Known for his "wickedly funny" sense of humor and empathy for his patients, Dr. Scott Swygert, chief quality officer and chief medical information officer for Lakeland Regional Medical Center, died Friday night at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. He was 45.

Swygert died before he was able to receive a lung transplant after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, said Beth Dolan, a family friend. The condition is a scarring or thickening of the lungs without a known cause, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

"I think they knew something was wrong for quite some time," Dolan said. "But then it quickened in October."

Swygert was airlifted to Shands from LRMC on Oct. 14 but he became too ill to receive a transplant, Dolan said.

His family, including his wife, Donna, and daughters, Anna, Rachel and Laura, were at the hospital when he died, Dolan said. Dolan met Swygert in grade school, and said some aspects of his personality haven't changed.

"He was so quiet and so shy in sixth grade but he still had this wickedly funny side, this twinkle in his eye," Dolan said. "As he got older, he became more and more caring and more and more astute as to how he could alleviate suffering."

Swygert was a major player in the leadership teams of Lakeland Regional Health Systems, parent company of Lakeland Regional Medical Center, and Watson Clinic, the county's largest medical group.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of Dr. Swygert's passing," said Dr. Louis S. Saco, chairman and chief executive officer of Watson Clinic, in an email.

Saco made mention of Swygert serving as president of the Watson Clinic Foundation for more than decade, as well as initiating the clinic's hospitalist program at LRMC, which allowed clinic physicians to care for inpatients at the hospital. Swygert's duties with LRMC included monitoring its hospitalists.

"He was an excellent physician and a valued colleague who will be truly missed by all," Saco said.

Swygert was at the forefront of efforts to transition LRMC to electronic records and among a small group of physicians who became part of Lakeland Regional's executive circle, while retaining his status as a physician with the clinic.

LRHS President Elaine Thompson and LRMC President Mack Reavis released a statement Saturday.

"Dr. Swygert served us in many ways, as Chief Medical Quality Officer, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Chair, Department of Medicine, and Medical Director for the Hospital Medicine Service," the statement said. "We mourn his loss and his family remains in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time."

Kimberly Moore Wilmoth, who knew Swygert since the two attended Lakeland Highlands Junior High School, remembers seeing him in the hospital after her father was hospitalized for a stroke in 2000 and again in 2006.

"When we were in the emergency room again in 2006," Wilmoth said, "there was just this huge amount of relief to know he would be the one taking care of Dad."

Swygert's friends say he valued his family more than anything. He and his wife Donna began dating in high school, Dolan said. Morgan Bentley played in a high school band with Swygert. The group never came up with a band name, and that became a sort of running joke. Bentley remembers jam sessions in a friend's garage in their youth, but as he talks, a more poignant memory surfaces.

"I remember when my Dad had some heart issues and had to go to the hospital," Bentley said. "(Swygert) went out of his way to check on him every day. That's just the way he was. He could've been a musician or he could've been a scientist. But it just seems like he was born to be a doctor."

[ Miles Parks can be reached at miles.parks@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]

<p>LAKELAND | Known for his "wickedly funny" sense of humor and empathy for his patients, Dr. Scott Swygert, chief quality officer and chief medical information officer for Lakeland Regional Medical Center, died Friday night at Shands Hospital in Gainesville. He was 45.</p><p>Swygert died before he was able to receive a lung transplant after being diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, said Beth Dolan, a family friend. The condition is a scarring or thickening of the lungs without a known cause, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.</p><p>"I think they knew something was wrong for quite some time," Dolan said. "But then it quickened in October."</p><p>Swygert was airlifted to Shands from LRMC on Oct. 14 but he became too ill to receive a transplant, Dolan said. </p><p>His family, including his wife, Donna, and daughters, Anna, Rachel and Laura, were at the hospital when he died, Dolan said. Dolan met Swygert in grade school, and said some aspects of his personality haven't changed.</p><p>"He was so quiet and so shy in sixth grade but he still had this wickedly funny side, this twinkle in his eye," Dolan said. "As he got older, he became more and more caring and more and more astute as to how he could alleviate suffering."</p><p>Swygert was a major player in the leadership teams of Lakeland Regional Health Systems, parent company of Lakeland Regional Medical Center, and Watson Clinic, the county's largest medical group. </p><p>"We are deeply saddened by the news of Dr. Swygert's passing," said Dr. Louis S. Saco, chairman and chief executive officer of Watson Clinic, in an email. </p><p>Saco made mention of Swygert serving as president of the Watson Clinic Foundation for more than decade, as well as initiating the clinic's hospitalist program at LRMC, which allowed clinic physicians to care for inpatients at the hospital. Swygert's duties with LRMC included monitoring its hospitalists.</p><p>"He was an excellent physician and a valued colleague who will be truly missed by all," Saco said.</p><p>Swygert was at the forefront of efforts to transition LRMC to electronic records and among a small group of physicians who became part of Lakeland Regional's executive circle, while retaining his status as a physician with the clinic.</p><p>LRHS President Elaine Thompson and LRMC President Mack Reavis released a statement Saturday.</p><p>"Dr. Swygert served us in many ways, as Chief Medical Quality Officer, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Chair, Department of Medicine, and Medical Director for the Hospital Medicine Service," the statement said. "We mourn his loss and his family remains in our thoughts and prayers during this trying time."</p><p>Kimberly Moore Wilmoth, who knew Swygert since the two attended Lakeland Highlands Junior High School, remembers seeing him in the hospital after her father was hospitalized for a stroke in 2000 and again in 2006.</p><p>"When we were in the emergency room again in 2006," Wilmoth said, "there was just this huge amount of relief to know he would be the one taking care of Dad."</p><p>Swygert's friends say he valued his family more than anything. He and his wife Donna began dating in high school, Dolan said. Morgan Bentley played in a high school band with Swygert. The group never came up with a band name, and that became a sort of running joke. Bentley remembers jam sessions in a friend's garage in their youth, but as he talks, a more poignant memory surfaces.</p><p>"I remember when my Dad had some heart issues and had to go to the hospital," Bentley said. "(Swygert) went out of his way to check on him every day. That's just the way he was. He could've been a musician or he could've been a scientist. But it just seems like he was born to be a doctor."</p><p>[ Miles Parks can be reached at miles.parks@theledger.com or 863-802-7516. ]</p>